Lessons from Northern Ireland

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This report presents findings from the first of a series of joint comparative studies into peacebuilding mechanisms in other conflict contexts, carried out by an expert group supported by International Alert. Last year, the group travelled to Belfast, Dublin and London to meet with a wide range of interlocutors, including current and former politicians directly involved in the Northern Irish peace negotiations, leading journalists, academic experts, community leaders, and prominent civil society activists from both Catholic and Protestant communities. Drawing on insights from the meetings and extensive research, this report presents findings on five key topics that formed the focus of the group’s study, namely the roles of political institutions, official diplomacy and external actors, the diaspora, the media, and civil society in building conditions for a lasting peace settlement in Northern Ireland.